Zook briefly considers Illini for coaches poll

Sunday

Illinois coach Ron Zook didn't put the Illini in the final spot on his weekly ballot for the USA Today coaches poll Sunday, but Zook voted for backup quarterback Eddie McGee to get more playing time.

Illinois coach Ron Zook didn't put the Illini in the final spot on his weekly ballot for the USA Today coaches poll Sunday, but Zook voted for backup quarterback Eddie McGee to get more playing time.

Zook gave the Illini some consideration after they ended a 19-game losing streak against top 25 teams by defeating Penn State 27-20 Saturday. The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 21 last week, dropped out of the poll after the loss.

"When I did it, I got to the 25th spot,'' Zook said. "I thought about it. If we were undefeated, maybe I'd stick it in there. We still have some work to do. This week is a big test for us.''

Despite getting snubbed by Zook, Illinois is one of those "others receiving votes,'' ranking 28th in The Associated Press media poll and No. 34 in the USA Today coaches poll. The Illini haven't been ranked since winning the Big Ten outright title in 2001, but Illinois received votes for the first time since the preseason poll in 2002.

Illinois (4-1 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) carries a four-game winning streak into a Big Ten game against No. 5 Wisconsin (5-0, 2-0) Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN) at Memorial Stadium. The Illini's only loss this season was a six-pointer to Missouri.

The Tigers are ranked No. 17 in the AP poll.

Quarterback Juice Williams will start against Wisconsin, but McGee would likely see some playing time, Zook said Sunday. McGee took over the quarterback spot with 9 minutes 54 seconds left against Penn State.

Zook wasn't sure if the Illini would designate a series when McGee would play, or if McGee's playing time would be determined during the flow of the game.

"Sometimes it's good for them to know if it's the second, third or fourth series,'' Zook said. "I don't know that we'll do that.''

Williams didn't complete a pass in the second half. McGee, whose 53-yard option run set up Illinois' final field goal with 7:00 left, didn't complete a pass in three attempts.

"Juice only had five bad plays,'' Zook said. "It happened to be those passes (in the second half). He played a heck of a game. When we made the change, it was more to let Juice settle down. We didn't necessarily mean that Eddie was going to finish it out.''

Williams and McGee are both suited to running Illinois' spread option, although they have different running styles. Williams is more of a power runner while McGee has more speed.

"I don't know how much difference there is,'' Zook said. "They both run the system.''

Illinois' win against Penn State was its first against a ranked team since 2001 and the first for Illinois against a ranked Big Ten team in Memorial Stadium since 1991. The celebration spilled into the stands, where the Illini mingled with students in the north end zone grandstand.

Defensive end Will Davis grabbed a trombone from a band member. When he first saw the party, Zook figured he'd get a strong message from athletic director Ron Guenther.

"(Guenther) actually thought it was pretty cool,'' Zook said. "I looked up there and saw them up there, I thought, 'Man, I'm in trouble now.' If the students don't care and (Guenther) doesn't care, then I don't care.''

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more Illini coverage, read the Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.

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